Experimental investigation of an integrated rainwater harvesting unit for drinking water production at the household level

According to the United Nations' report, billions of people, particularly those living in regional areas (places that lay behind major cities), are still lacking access to clean drinking water. Some of them drink rainwater without any prior treatment even though water experts are campaigning against this practice for potential health risks. As most of the previous studies have focused on the use of harvested rainwater for non-potable usage, the present study reports the feasibility of producing drinking water from an integrated rainwater harvesting unit. It is found that the developed unit can produce clean drinking water for households in rural communities. The economic payback time for the proposed unit is eight years at a water production cost of AU$ 0.07/L. Important quality parameters of the produced drinking water, such as pH, electrical conductivity, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, total organic carbon, turbidity, faecal coliforms & escherichia coli, heavy metals, and total trihalomethanes, are examined using a testing facility accredited by the National Association of Testing Authorities from Australia. It is found that the water quality complies with the requirements specified in the Australian drinking water guidelines. The developed integrated rainwater harvesting unit could produce drinking water at a capacity of 348 ± 20 L in a day. Since it is important to store the produced drinking water for potential dry periods, suitable methods for disinfection and mineral fortification of the produced water are presented. Finally, a detailed description of the step-by-step installation of the proposed system is presented. This study can potentially contribute to Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation of United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.